Bottle stopping machine



March 16, 1937. L'VM oss 2,073,964

BOTTLE STOPPING MACHINE Filed Aug. 31, 1934 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 March 16,1937. M 055 BOTTLE STOPPING MACHINE Filed Aug. 31, 1934 4 Sheets-Sheet 2VJ 7 4 r7 March 16, 1937. M F s 2,073,964

BOTTLE STOPPING MACHINE Filed Aug. 31, 1954 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 March 16,1937. L. M. FOSS BOTTLE STOPPING MACHINE Filed Aug. 31, 1954 4 shegts-sheet 4 y 17% @zuzzzzzfi .term corks,

Patented Mar. 16, 1937 NT OFFICE BOTTLE STOPPING MACHINE Laurence M.Foss, Wakefield, one-half to Paul K. Guillow,

Application August 31,

22 Claims.

The subject matter to which this invention relates is that of automaticmeans for setting stoppers in bottles and analogous containers;including the steps ofdelivering stoppers from a random mass, arrangingthem in order with a prescribed end foremost, placing them in positionto enter the months of the bottles, and forcing or driving them intosuch mouths. The objects which I have accomplished by the inventioninclude that of providing novel simplified and efilcient automatic meansfor performing these acts; condensing in a minimum space provisions forseting a maximum number 'of stoppers in a single operation; limiting thepressure under which the stoppers are inserted under normal conditionsWhile at the same time insuring sufficient driven advance to avoidobstruction to the orderly operation of the machine; when stoppers oftapered form are usecl, insuring that all will be brought to the drivingpoints with relatively the same end foremost; and. providing otheruseful features which are described in the following specification andclaimed in the appended claims.

The machine shown here for illustration of the invention is handoperated to the extent that the initial power is supplied by themuscular force of an operator, and the container for bottles to bestopped is shifted step by step also by the operator; but otherwise theoperations are wholly automatic, and it is within my contemplation toapply automatic mechanical power also and to feed the bottle containerautomatically.

For convenience the stoppers will be generally designated in thefollowing description by the but without intending to imply thereby thatthe invention is in any way limited to dealing with stoppers made ofcork rather than those made of any other suitable material. Also it isto be understood that the following detailed description of aspecificmachine is not to be construed as limiting my protection to thedetails so described or as excluding any machine, combination, orsub-combination having substantially equivalent characteristics ofcooperative structure, function and result.

In the drawings furnished herewith,-

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a bottle stopping machine illustrating theinvention;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the carrier for the bottles tobe corked,showing also in perspective a box which may be filled with such bottlesand placed in the carrier; 7

Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the machine omitting some of theoperating parts for clearer iilus- Mass, assignor of Wakefield, Mass.

1934, Serial No. 742,255 (c1. 226--92) tration of those which are shown;the omitted parts being clearly disclosedin other figures;

Fig. 4 is a detail verticalsection on line 44 of Fig. 3, somewhatenlarged in scale;

Fig. 5 is a detail horizontal section taken on 5 line .'-5 of Fig. 4 andshown on a still larger scale;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary partial side elevation and partial verticalsection showing the operating mechanism in one position;

Fig. '7 is a fragmentary view of parts of the same mechanism in adifferent position;

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary sectional plan on line 8- 8 of Fig. 7 j

Fig. 9 is a vertical section taken on line 9-9 of Fig.3;

Figs. 10 and 11 are fragmentary views similar to Fig. 9 but showing thecork feeding and driving means in diiferent positions;

Figs. 12 and 13 are fragmentary horizontal sections taken on lines l2l2and l3--.l3 respectively of Fig. 9.

Like reference characters designate the same parts wherever theyoccur inall the figures.

The framework of the machine is shown as consisting of a base I5 fromthe rear part of which, at opposite sides, rise, posts l6 and IT whichsupport the hopper l 8, and from more forward points of which, atopposite sides, risestandards l9 and 20 by which other operating partsare supported. '30 Braces, not shown in these drawings, extend from thebase to the standards [9 and 20, and from the latter to the posts l6 andI1, and from each post to the other. The standards are also bracedtransversely by an operating shaft 2|, a cross beam 22 which providesguideways for the corkdriving plungers, and a crossbeam 23 whichprovides a rest for the corks during a step of their feeding progressinto driving position. A yoke consisting of a cross .bar,24 and. arms25,. 26 is 4 also part of the frame and its arms areconnected rigidly tothe uprights l9 and 120 respectively.

The bottles to be corked are placed in a carrier 27 which rests onthebase l5 and is movable thereon from front to rear between theuprights i9 and 20 in the space beneath cross beam 23. This carrier hasfour upright walls defining a rectangular space within which a box 28loaded with bottles 29 to be corked may be placed. Preferably the frontwall 30 of the carrier is hinged or pivoted to the bottom so that it maybe tipped downward for convenience in placement andremoval of the loadedboxes 28. It is additionally coupled to theend walls of the carrier bysprings 3| which normally hold it upright .soJa'stocon- 5 fine the boxof bottles, with the ends of a rod 32, to which the springs are hooked,abutting against the adjacent edges of the end walls.

Parallel ribs 33 on the bottom of the carrier enter 5 grooves whichextend forwardly and rearwardly in the machine base for guiding thecarrier; and

lips 34, 35 at the sides of the base overlap flanges 36, 31 respectivelyon the ends of the carrier to prevent the latter from being raised inthe course of its progress beneath the cork drivers.

A handle 38 on the front wall 30 assists the operator in advancing thecarrier.

The supply of corks to be driven is thrown into the hopper at random.One of the functions of the machine is to'deliver the corks from thehopper in orderly arrangement to the extent that they are delivered andforwarded end foremost. An inclined chute 39 registers with the openingbetween the two inclined bottom walls of the hopper and has apassageway, or preferably a number of passageways side by side forparallel streams of corks, the dimensions of which are such as to permitfree travel of the corks endwise and to prevent tipping of the corks. Inother words, the width, in both transverse dimensions, of such passageor passages is greater than the largest diameter of the corks and lessthan their length.

Rolls and 4|, are mounted at opposite sides 30 of the entrance to thechute and protrude partly into the hopper above such entrance. They arekeyed to parallel shafts 42 and 43 which have trunnion bearings inplates 44 secured to opposite ends of the hopper. These rolls arecircumferentially grooved in planes perpendicular to their axes, and thegrooves of the two rolls are registered at opposite sides of eachpassageway. Each of the spaces embraced by adjacent grooves of the tworolls is enough larger than the largest diameter of the corks to permitany cork of which the axis is nearly vertical to fall through it, butnot wide enough to permit passage of a cork sidewise in such a positionas would block the passageway in the chute.

The rolls are oscillated with each cork driving operation of the machineby an arm 45 applied to shaft 42, and from which motion is transmittedto shaft 43 by arms 45, 41 on the respective shafts and a link 48. Arm45 is connected by a link or connecting rod 49 with a crank arm 50pivoted to the post l6 and rigidly attached to a pinion 5|. A rack 52meshes with pinion 5i and is carried by a bar 53 which is pivoted to anarm 54. The latter arm and an operating 55 handle 55 are both secured tothe operating shaft 2!, by which the cork drivers, as well as othermoving parts of the machine, later described, are

operated.

Each cork driving action of the machine is per- 0 formed by depressionof the handle 55 to approximately the position shown in Fig. 1, afterwhich the handle is raised, either manually by the operator with the aidof a spring 56, or by thespring alone. These movements of the handlecause the rolls 4!! and 4| to be partially rotated in unison back andforth, through the transmission connections described. An important factto be noted is that both rolls turn in the same direction (i. e.,clockwise or counter-clockwise) at the same time, whereby the linearmotions of the points nearest to one another on their line of centersalways occur in relatively opposite directions. This avoids any forciblefeeding effect on the corks, such as would occur if the contiguous sides75 of the rolls were moved downward at the same time; but instead,jostles the corks which rest on the rolls and tends to tilt into anupright position any corks which lodge across the intervening space withtheir opposite ends resting on the two rolls. The corks which are thustilted, and those which happen to fall endwise into the grooves of therolls, pass freely through such grooves and enter the passageways of thechute 39 with their axes all lengthwise of the passageways andsubstantially alined with one another. They are thus delivered in largeenough numbers to furnish an adequate continuous supply for the drivingmeans. And the corks are prevented from lodging crosswise in the chuteand blocking the passageways therein.

This machine is designed for setting a number of stoppers simultaneouslyin a row of bottles. As shown, the box 28 is designed to hold a gross ofbottles in nine rows of sixteen each; wherefore the rolls have sixteengrooves, the chute sixteen passageways, and there are a like number ofdrivers and associated magazines and intermediate instruments oftransferal. The principles of the invention may, however, be embodied ina machine having any number of such elements from one upward.

While there may be a separate chute for each of the parallel streams ofcorks delivered to the hopper, I prefer to make them all as a unitstructure with common front and rear walls and intermediate partitions,such partitions being shown at 51 in Fig. 3. The upper extremity of thechute is provided with fingers 58 (Figs. 4 and 5) which occupy extensiongrooves 59 of the two rolls, such extension grooves leading inward fromthe innermost points of the circularly curved grooves, first described,which deliver the corks.

Magazines 60 receive the corks delivered from the lower end of thechute, and hold them in single columns. Their lower ends terminate at adistance, somewhat greater than the height of one cork but less than thecombined heights of two, above the cross beam or shelf 23 beneath whichthe bottle carrier is placed.

Cork drivers 5| are arranged parallel to the magazines, each directly infront of one of the latter. They are guided, to reciprocate lengthwisein guideways in the cross beam 22, and travel between substantially thepositions shown in Figs. 10 and 11, passing through apertures 62 in theshelf 23. They are so actuated by oscillation of the operating shaft 25,the movements of which are transmitted to a beam 63 by arms 54 securedto the shaft near its opposite ends, and links 65 pivoted to said armsand to the ends of the beam; such arms and links being preferably soarranged as to constitute toggle linkages.

Extensions of the drivers pass slidably through the beam E33 and haveadjustable nuts 66 resting on the upper side of the beam, whereby thedrivers are positively raised, while a spring 61 surrounds each driver,being confined between a shoulder 58 thereon and the under side of thebeam. The spring transmits the driving thrust and limits the intensityof such thrust so as to avoid danger of bursting the bottle, exceptunder unusual conditions. By adjustment of the nuts 66, the limit ofmovement of the drivers, and the intensity of the pressure applied bytheir springs, may be varied somewhat.

It may occasionally happen that an oversized cork might fail to passthrough the opening 62 or to enter the alined bottle far enough to clearthe shelf 23 under the pressure of the spring of the driver acting onit. To prevent possible injury to the machine, or interruption of itsrapid and orderly performance, I have provided an auxiliary propellerfor the drivers, which is positive in its action and comes intoactionafter 1.5 a lost motion suflicient for the normal action of thesprings has been taken up. This auxiliary propeller is a beam 69connected to the beam 63 by straps or braces l0, and carried thereby ina position above the extremities of the driver extensions. A space H isprovided between the beam 69 and the drivers wide enough to permit theyield and play of the springs for accommodating the normal variation indiameters of corks and of bottle mouths; so as, for example, to preventexcessive bursting stress when a large cork happens to enter a smallbottle mouth, within the normal range. But abnormal conditions of sizeor hardness of the stopper, diameter of bottle mouth, etc. may obstructthe driver beyond the power of its spring to advance it, in which casethe beam 69 comes to bear on the obstructed driver and gives it apositive advancing thrust.

The spring 56 previously mentioned is con nected at its lower end by ahook E3 to the beam '53, and its upper end is anchored to the yoke 24 ofthe frame. This spring is strong enough to hold the drivers in theirraised position, and preferably to raise them, and correspondingly movethe operating shaft and parts connected therewith, when the operatinghandle 55- is released after having been depressed.

The corks pass by gravity freely through the magazines, and the lowestone of each column rests on the shelf 23 with its upper end below thelower extremity of the magazine. A feeder M advancesthe bottom corksfrom beneath the mag azine into alinement with the several drivers. Thefeeder is a beam which rests on the shelf 23 and is coupled at its endsby pivots T5 with O levers l6 and TI which hang from pivots 5'8 onthestandards l9 and 20 respectively. Each of these levers is engagedwith a link 79 by means of a pin 80 on the lever contained in a slot 8!in the link, while the link in turn is connected 5 to one of the armsb iby a pivot 82. The arrangement of the links is such that they cause apositive retraction of the feeder to the position shown in Figs. 1, 9,11 and 12 when the drivers are advanced, and leave the feeder free to bemoved forward in performing its feeding function when the drivers areraised. A spring 83 connected to a rigid cross bar 84 of the framestructure by a hook 85, and to the feeder M by a finger 86, advances thefeeder into substantially the position shown in Fig. when the driversare raised. The corks thus advanced are arrested by a stop Si in linewith the drivers and directly above the holes 82. They may be held bythe grip of the feeder and stop until advanced they are preventedfrom'falling through the holes 62 by the tapering formation of theholes. The diameter of the holes in the top side of the shelfislarge'enough to admit the cork, but that at the under side of theshelf is smaller than the largest diameter of the corks, whereby thrustof the drivers is necessary to propel the corks all the way through. 3 V0 It will be noted in Fig. 13 that the lower ends of the magazines havea somewhat staggered arrangement. They are so arranged because thebottles which this machine is designed to stop have a maximum width ofmouth-being in fact cylinders with no contraction whatever at their bythe drivers, but when released from such grip,

mouths and being backed closely side by side in the carrier. The center.distances between the "corks alined with such bottles are thus less thanthe center distances between adjacent magazines required for the freepassage of the corks, wherefore thelower ends of the magazines arestaggered to the extent needed to bring their centers into front torearalinement with the centers of corks-one by one from the outlet end ofthe chute and deposits them in the upper end of the magazines, at thesame time reversing those which happen to pass large end foremost intoand through the chute.

Such transferrer comprises pins or fingers 88 protruding rearwardly froma bar 89 which is hung by arms 9|] from'the side arms 25, 26, of theframe yoke. The location of the bar 89 and the positions, direction andlength of the fingers 88 with respect thereto are such that such fingerstravel between the position shown in Fig. 6, where they are mainlywithdrawn from above the magazines, and their extremities are near theforward entrance lips 90 of the magazines, and the position shown inFigs. 7 and 8 in which their extremities are close to the bottom wall 9|of the chute and in the same planes with the walls 5'! which bound thesides of the chute passageways. A spring 92 is connected to a lug 93 onthe cross member 24 of the frame yoke, and acts on the bar tion of Fig.'7, where it is arrested by a stop 94 on the frame member 25 whichoverlaps theadjacent suspension arm 90 of bar 89. Movement of thetransf-errer bar into the position of Fig. 6 is accomplished by theoperating handle 55 which carries a pin 95 extending laterally so as toengage the edge of an angular arm 96 secured to the nearer suspensionarm 90 of the transferrer. Said pin is mounted in a stud 91 on theoperating arm.

While the transfer fingers 88 are centrally alined with the side wallsof the chute passageways, they are at the same time wider than thethickness of such walls, enoughto make the spaces between them slightlynarrower than the diameter of the larger ends of the corks, but widerthan the diameter of the corks at their center of gravity. Thus when thecorks are allowed to emerge from the chute, the fingers being then inthe position of Figs. 7 and 8, they do not fall between the fingers butare caught by the latter at diametrically opposite points near theirlarge ends, and they swing about such points of engagement by gravityinto a suspended upright position. A cork which emerges from the chutelarge end foremost then swings-in clockwise rotation (with respect toFigs. 6 and '7), from a position substantially that shown at a by dottedlines in Fig. '7 tothe position shown at b in the same figure. But if itemerges small end foremost, it turns counter-clockwise through a smallerangle to approximately the same position b. Over each of A fea- 89tending always to place the latter in the posi- I the-spaces between thefingers eXtendsa-guard '98, the purpose of which is to prevent the corksfrom bouncing out of these spaces.

When the transfer fingers pass to the position of Fig. 6, the suspendedcorks engage the inclined forward mouth walls of the several magazinesand are dislodged from the fingers, falling thence into the magazines.

The corks are prevented from falling from the chute, and are releasedone at a time from each passageway, by an escapement consisting of aguard 99 and stop fingers I00. The guard may be made as a plat-e securedto a pivot rod IOI, the ends of which are journaled in lugs I02 suitablylocated to hold the plate back of the rear or lower wall of the chute.This guard plate has a series of tabs I03 (or permissibly a continuouslip) turned up to obstruct the outlets of the passageways when in theposition of Fig. 6, and retractable to the position of Fig. 7, wherebythey release the endmost corks. An arm I04 is rigidly secured to thepivot rod and is engaged with a spring I05, one end of which is anchoredto the side of the chute at I06 and the other end to said arm at I01.The connecting point I01 is placed at one side or the other of the lineof centers of pivot IOI and spring anchorage I06 according as the guardis in one or the other of the positions shown in Figs. 6 and 7respectively, whereby the spring tends to hold the guard in either ofthese positions, and to continue its movement thereto from the otherpositions after passing the dead point. The guard is withdrawn from theobstructing position by the rise of operating handle 55, the pin thereonthen striking the bent down end I08 of a rod I09 which is pivoted at II0 to arm I04 and passes through a guide block I II on the frame member25, by which it is supported. It is brought into the obstructingposition, or moved far enough toward that position for such movement tobe completed by spring I05, by means of a wiper H2 carried by a rod II3which is secured to the transferrer bar and protrudes to the rearthereof. The shape of this wiper is shown best in Fig. 3. It extendslaterally from the rod H3 and its extremity is carried to a point whereit will engage and move the guard as described.

The stop fingers I00 are preferably made of strips of resilient metal,one for each of the stopper passageways, the extremities of which arebent downward and pass through holes in the front wall of the chute,positioned to engage the next to endmost stopper. These fingers are allsecured to a rod I I4 which is mounted in lugs 6 I5 above the upper orfront Wall of the chute. An operating arm H8 is secured to rod IM, andis connected with the chute structure by a spring Ill which tends tohold the fingers in the obstructing position shown in Flg. 7. The arm isalso connected to one of the suspension arms 90 of the transferrer barby a link H0, of which the connection to the arm is made by a pin M0 onthe arm entering the slot I20 in the link. When the transferrer is movedforward by depression of the operating arm 55, link H8 causes the stopfingers I00 to be raised; but when the transferrer moves to the rear,spring IIl brings the stop fingers down into engagement with the corks.Slot I20 permits the spring thus to act immediately the transferrermoves to the rear, and also permits movement of the transferrer througha greater distance than that needed for operation of the stop fingers,without moving the latter through a correspondingly wide range.

The movements of the various instruments of the machine, thus described,are so correlated that with every down stroke of the operating handle,--

(a) Corks previously placed in driving position are set in the bottlemouths;

(b) The feeder I4 is retracted preparatory to placing a second row ofcorks in driving position;

(0) The corks previously delivered to the transfer fingers aredischarged into the magazines;

((1) The obstructor 90 is placed so as to prevent discharge of corksfrom the chute;

(e) The stop fingers i00 are withdrawn to permit the corks to slideforward and downward until arrested by the obstructor; and

(f) The corks in the hopper are jostled and some of them permitted toenter the upper end of the chute.

When the operating handle is thereafter raised, or the retracting spring56 permitted to operate,

(9) The drivers are retracted;

(b) The feeder i4 is advanced by its spring to place a new lot of corksin driving position;

(i) The transfer fingers are brought up to the end of the chute;

(7') The stop fingers I00 are brought down to hold the next to endmostcorks in the chute;

(k) The obstructor 99 is withdrawn whereby the lowest cork in eachpassageway is allowed to slide on to the adjacent transfer fingers andpendulate to the upright position small end downward; and

(Z) The delivery rolls of the hopper are again caused to jostle andrelease corks.

It will be noted that with each driving cycle there is a delivery of onecork from each magazine and a transfer of one cork to each magazine fromthe chute, so that the rate of delivery from the chute is the same asthe driving rate. But there is no such measured delivery from thehopper; on the contrary, the delivery rolls thereof are given a doubleaction which tends to deliver more corks than are required to feed thedrivers, and hence to keep the chute passageways always full.

The bottle carrier is moved step by step from front to rear in time withthe operations previously described, each step bringing a row of openbottles into line with the drivers. To aid the operator in alining thebottles with the drivers, a pawl i2I is pivoted to the base and isspring pressed into engagement with one of the flanges (as the flange3'!) of the carrier. Notches designed for entrance of the toe of thepawl are formed in this flange and are located so as to register withthe pawl when the rows of bottles are respectively alined with thedrivers. The notches and pawl are inclined at one side at least so as topermit disengagement by thrust applied to the carrier.

When all the bottles have been stopped, the pawl is pulled clear, thecarrier slid forward and opened, and a box loaded with open bottles issubstituted for the box of stopped bottles.

As previously intimated, the protection which I claim herein extends toall substantially equivalent variations, modifications of, and substitu-6 tions for, the specific devices and mechanical elements here shown,whether applied to a machine having a single set of operatinginstruments or a gang machine having any number of such instruments, andwhether the power for operating the machine is the muscular force of anoperator or automatic. I realize that many changes of design from thathere shown may be made without departing from the principles of theinvention.

1 What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1'. In a machine of the character described, a hopper having an outlet,rolls mounted at opposite sides of said outlet having grooves oppositeshorter than the length of such articles, and

means for turning said rolls, both in the same direction of angularrotation, whereby they tend to tilt into an upright position stopperslying across such space and in contact at their opposite ends with thetwo rolls.-

3; In a bottle stopping machine, a hopper adapted to contain taperedstoppers having a bottom outlet, rolls mounted at opposite sides of suchoutlet and grooved in registering zones so that the profiles of thezones in the common axial plane of the rolls define a substantiallycircular space larger in diameter than the stoppers but less than thelength of the stoppers, means for turning the rolls simultaneously inthe same direction of angular rotation for turning stoppers which restupon them crosswise into axial alinement with such space, and a chutehaving a passageway registering with said space and adapted to receivestoppers therefrom in orderly arrangement end to end.

4. In a bottle stopping machine, a hopper adapted to contain taperedstoppers having a bottom outlet, rolls mounted at opposite sides of suchoutlet and grooved in registering zones so that the profiles of thezones in the common axial plane of the rolls define a substantiallycircular space larger in diameterthan the stoppers but less than thelength of the stoppers, means for turning the rolls simultaneously inthe same direction of angular rotation for turning stoppers which restupon them crosswise into axial alinement with such space, a chute havinga passageway registering with said space and adapted to receive stopperstherefromin orderly arrangement end to end, an escapement mechanism atthe lower end of said chute, means for operating said escapement toliberate stoppers one by one from the chute, and a transfer meansadapted to receive the stoppers so liberated and having provisions forreversing those which are liberated with the large end foremost.

5. The combination with a chute adapted to contain a line of conicalstoppers end to end, and

Fin which some of the stoppers may be located with the largerendiforemost, of escape means for releasing stoppers one by one from thedischarge end of the chute, a pair of fingers adjacent to such dischargeend arranged to admit i the discharged stoppers between them and::spaced apart by a distance less than the largest :diameterof thestoppers butgreater than the diameter at their center of gravity,whereby stoppers delivered thereto are caused to pendulateinto anupright position with the small end downward, and means for removing thestoppers from said fingers.

6. A bottle stopping machine comprising a hopper for stoppers, a chuteleading from said hopper, means for delivering stoppers from the hopperinto the chute in end to end alinement, a magazine adjacent to thedischarge end of the chute, a transferrer between the chute and magazineoperable to receive stoppers from the chute, and deliver them into themagazine, and escapement means cooperating with the chute in time withthe action of said transferrer for discharging limited numbers of thestoppers thereto.

7. The combination with a magazine for tapered stoppers adapted toconfine such stoppers in end to end alinement, of a hopper adapted tocontain such stoppers in a random mass, a chute having a passagewayadapted to contain stoppers in end to end alinement, means fordelivering stoppers endwise and successively from the hopper into saidchute, an escapement for releasing stoppers in limited numbers from thechute and a transferrer-movable bodily from receiving position at theescapement to delivering position at the magazine; said transferrerembodying means for turning the stoppers so that when delivered to themagazine corresponding ends of all point in the same direction.

8. In a machine of the character described, the combination with anupright magazine open at the upper end and adapted to contain a columnof stoppers end to end, a chute adapted to contain a line of stoppersend to end and to permit gravity progress of such stoppers, a hopper inwhich stoppers may be placed in a random mass, means for deliveringstoppers from the hopper to the chute successively in endwise alinement,an escapement mechanism at the lower end of the chute operable torelease stoppers one by one therefrom, transfer means inpositionadjacent to the discharge end of the chute for receiving thestoppers so delivered, means for moving the transfer means from saidposition to deliver such stoppers into the magazine, and return thetransferrer, and operating mechanism for saidescape means and transfermeans organized to operate them in correlated sequence with one another.

9. In a machine of the character set forth in claim 8, the constructionof the transfer means with an open interior space adapted to pass themajor portion of the length of a tapered stopper, and having limitelements spaced so as to arrest such a stopper by engaging it atopposite side points near the large end.

10. In a machine of the character set forth in claim 8, the constructionof the transfer means whereby it is adapted to deliver without reversalto the magazine stoppers which are released small end foremost from thechute, and to reverse.

those stoppers which are so released with the large end foremost.

11. In a machine of the character described, a chute extending at aninclination downward toward its lower end and constructed tocontaintapered stoppers in end to end alinement, a magazine having itsentrance end near and below the lower end of the chute, a transferrercomprising a bar and a pair of substantially' parallel fingersprotruding from said bar'in 3,}

generally horizontal direction, means for moving the bar to bring thefingers into approximate alinement with the lateral walls of the chuteat the lower parts thereof, and also to withdraw them from the mouth ofthe magazine across ,a bounding lip. of such mouth, escapement means fordelivering stoppers from the chute, and means for operating saidescapement means and the transferrer in timed relation such as to resonear their 6 lease stoppers when the transferrer fingers are in thebefore described position near the chute. 12. In a machine as set forthin claim 11, the transferrer fingers spaced apart from one another by adistance less than the largest diameter of tapered corks of a givensize, but greater than the diameter at the center of gravity of suchcorks, whereby to catch the corks at points large ends that they willassume by gravity a suspended position with their smaller ends downward.

13. A bottle stopping machine comprising a bottle support, a rest forstoppers having an aperture through which a stopper may be passed intothe mouth of a bottle on said support alined with said aperture, adriver arranged and guided to travel back and forth through saidaperture, a resiliently yieldable propeller for said driver, and anauxiliary propeller arranged with capacity for lost motion relatively tothe driver organized to apply a positive thrust thereto at the end ofsuch lost motion.

14. A bottle stopping machine comprising a stopper driver, a propellerfor said driver havin a lost motion connection therewith, means foradvancing and retracting said propeller, a spring interposed between thepropeller and driver in position to apply the advancing thrust of thepropeller thereto, and an auxiliary propeller in position to apply apositive advancing thrust to the driver when the spring has yielded agiven distance.

15. The combination with a receiver adapted to contain tapered stoppersin a column with smaller ends downward, and a chute adapted to containstoppers in alinement with either end foremost and being inclined forgravity feed of the stoppers, of a transferrer placed in a receivingposition adjacent to the lower end of said chute and having parallelfingers protruding toward the end of the chute in substantial registerwith the side walls thereof and being spaced apart by a distance lessthan the largest diameter of the stoppers but greater than the diameterat their center of gravity, whereby to sus pend by its larger end anystopper received from the chute and means for moving the transferreracross the upper end of the magazine in a path which causes the stopperto be arrested and removed by the lip of the magazine so that it dropsinto the magazine.

16. The combination set forth in claim 15 and in which'the transferrermoving means is organized to shift the transferrer back and forthbetween its receiving and discharging positions, with escapement meansin association with the chute operated in time with the transferrermoving means torelease the lowermost stopper and retain the otherstoppers in the chute when the transferrer is in its receiving position.

17. In a machine of the character described, a

hopper adapted to contain a random mass of tapered stoppers, a chuteextending downwardly from the bottom of the hopper and havingintermediate partitions dividing it into parallel passageways forstoppers in end to end alinement, a transferrer movable from a positionadjacent to the lower end of said chute to a more remote position, saidtransferrer having fingers which are in substantial register with theside walls of thev chute passageways when the transferrer is in itsposition near the chute, said fingers having such width that the spacesbetween them are narrower than the largest diameter of the stoppers butwider than the diameter at the center of gravity of the stoppers,whereby stoppers released from the several passageways are received intothe contiguousspaces between: the fingers and are suspended byengagement of their larger ends with the fingers, means for moving thetransferrer away fromthe chute andback to receiving position, and a rowof magazines'having open upper ends beneath the patlrirr which thetransferrer thus travels, said magazines having lips located to arrestand wipe the stoppers-from; the transferrer as the latter moves awayfrom the chute. V

18. A stopper handling means comprising a hopper adapted to contain arandom mass of tapered stoppers, a chute extending downwardly from thebottom of the hopper and having an in-' clined lower end portion andintermediate partitions dividing it into passageways with dimensionsgreater than the largest diameter but less than the length of thestoppers, and a transferrer adapted to receive stoppers from. saidpassageways and to right those stoppers which emerge with the large endforemost; said transferrer comprising a carrier member and fingersprojecting from said member in registry with the side walls of the chutepassageways but so formed that the spaces between them are narrower thanthe largest diameter of the stoppers while being wider than the diameterat the center of gravity of the stoppers.

19. In a stopper handling apparatus, a chute adapted to contain taperedstoppers in end to end alinement in which the stoppers may be containedwith either end foremost, said chute having an inclined lower deliveryend, and a transferrer comprising a suspended bar adapted to swingtoward and away from the lower end of the chute and having fingersprojecting toward the chute and spaced apart from one another by adistance and greater than the diameter at the center of gravity of thestoppers, such spaces being in register with the chute when thetransferrer is brought adjacent to the chute, whereby to repend them bytheir larger end, and a magazine having an open upper end below the pathof the transferrer fingers, with a rising lip in position to arrest andwipe the suspended stopper from the fingers in the course of travel ofthe trans-- ferrer away from the chute.

20. A bottle stopping machine comprising a hopper, a chute leading fromthe bottom of the hopper, oscillative rolls at opposite sides of thejunction between the chute and hopper for jostling articles in thenature of corks contained in the hopper and causing them to pass endwiseinto the chute, a magazine, a transferrer for carrying stoppers one byone from the chute to the magazine, a driver for propelling stoppersinto bottles, a feeder for transferring stoppers one by one from thebottom of the magazine into line with the driver, mechanism foroperating said driver, feeder and transferrer to act respectively uponone stopper in each cycle of the machine,

less than the largest diameter of the stoppers [/40 ceive stoppersdelivered from the chute and sus- 17-45 parallel to one another, and asingle feeder for advancing stoppers simultaneously from beneath all ofthe magazine into alinement with the several drivers.

22. A bottle stopping machine as set forth in claim 21, and comprisingfurther a chute having passageways equal in number to the magazines forconveying stoppers to delivery points adjacent to the several magazines,and a transferrer orangized and operated to carry stoppers from saidpassageways and deliver them simul- 10 taneously into the severalmagazines.

LAURENCE M. FOSS.

